The production is given with generous philanthropic support from Celia Blakey, John and Susan Burns, Doug and Ceri King, Peter Lloyd and Gail Ronson. Original Production (1987) and revival (2000) supported by The Linbury Trust.

Anna Netrebko, hot on the heels of her recording of Strauss’s Four Last Songs, heads the cast of Deutsche Grammophon's new Iolanta. Tchaikovsky’s seldom performed opera, which had its premiere on the same night as The Nutcracker, is relatively neglected. However, this recording, and Netrebko’s championing of the work on stages around the world, will change perceptions. Conductor Emmanuel Villaume finds the tender wonderment at the heart of this beautiful work, and the cast is strong from top to bottom. As Iolanta, the blind Princess of the title, Netrebko dominates the opera, singing with unfailing beauty of tone and dramatic intent. She herself has said that the music of Iolanta is a source of joy – and on this hearing recording, it surely is.

As I write this, the sounds of the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House can be heard in the Covent Garden orchestra pit, rehearsing for Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer, under the baton of Latvian conductor Andris Nelsons. His new recording of this opera, with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and NDR Choir, must rank as the finest modern recording. The orchestra hurtles into the overture and Nelsons never lets the pace flag; there is tension even in the reflective moments, and when he gives the orchestra its head, it is genuinely thrilling. Terje Stensvold is vocally lighter as the Dutchman than we would expect, but he knows his way around the role, and there is a welcome balance between his Dutchman and Kwangchul Youn's Daland. Anja Kampe is magnificent in one of Wagner’s most difficult soprano roles, and with artists of the calibre of Christopher Ventris (Erik), Jane Henschel (Mary) and Russell Thomas (Steersman), this recording has everything going for it.

Diana Damrau is singing Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor to acclaim across the world at the moment. In this recording, a live performance, she takes ownership of the role. Completely in control of Lucia’s vocal pyrotechnics, without ever using them to show off, she understands the role perfectly, and uses the decoration to express emotion and growing insanity to chilling effect. She is surrounded by a stellar cast including Joseph Calleja, who sings with grace and unfailing style. The final scene, which includes the oft-cut Wolf’s Crag scene, gives Calleja’s Edgardo some additional dimension, and allows him a moment opposite Ludovic Tezier's Enrico (smoothly sung and thoughtfully characterized). Jesús López Cobos conducts his second recorded Lucia, leading a detailed and melancholy account without any loss of brilliance where it is needed.

Onegin runs until 27 February 2015. Tickets are still available; there are also 67 day tickets for each performance, and returns may become available.

The production is given with generous philanthropic support from Simon and Virginia Robertson, David Hancock, Lady Jarvis, Lindsay and Sarah Tomlinson, Sir Roger and Lady Carr, The Artists' Circle and The Royal Opera House Endowment Fund.

Orfeo runs until 24 January 2015 at the Roundhouse. Limited numbers of tickets are available from the Royal Opera House and Roundhouse websites. The production is a new collaboration between the Roundhouse and The Royal Opera.

Competition terms and conditions: The 2014 Royal Opera review competition prize is two tickets to Madama Butterfly on 23 March 2015 (evening performance). Closing date for entry is 31 December 2014. The winner will be notified by 6 January 2015. All aspects of the prize are non-refundable, non-transferable and cannot be exchanged for another date. Travel or accommodation costs are not included in the prize. This prize draw can only be entered by tweeting with #ROHreview2014 or by commenting on this blog post.